1. Field
The present disclosure relates generally to an apparel liner, and, in particular, to an apparatus for distributing high volume, low pressure air through apparel such as jackets and vests.
2. Background
Motorcycles serve as both daily transportation and recreational vehicles for many individuals who are drawn to unique open-air riding. Over the years, motorcycles have evolved into a wide variety of models that are designed for particular types of riding such as off-road hill climbing challenges and classic street bikes. Each of these different types of motorcycles require riders to wear protective gear while riding to, inter alia, guard against head and body injuries.
Protective gear usually consists of a helmet and often, a leather jacket. Some riders may also add leather chaps. These jackets, vests, and chaps or pants may be made of leather or synthetic materials that are durable and provide protection against abrasion in the event of a fall. In some cases, abrasion-resistant padding may be used for extra protection.
State law may often require protective gear, such as helmets. Many riders choose to wear additional protective gear along with their helmets. The prudent desire for safety can come with a drawback. Because many motorcycle riders prefer to ride during warm weather, they may find their protective gear too hot, especially at low speeds or when stopped. Depending on the temperature, this may lead to riders experiencing heat stress. In hot weather, about 90 to 95 degrees Fahrenheit, temperatures inside a typical jacket may reach 120 degrees (° F.). Temperatures inside a helmet may reach 125 degrees (° F.).
Previous solutions to the problems of overheating and/or heat stress in motorcycle riders have focused on providing specialized cooling vests that are worn in addition to a jacket. Some methods have relied on the addition of gel cooling packs or phase change compounds to vests or have relied on evaporative wraps worn against or very close to the skin to cool the wearer. In some cases, air is pre-chilled and fans or blowers are used to supply the cool air to the rider's vest; chilled water pumped through tubing incorporated into vests has also been used for a cooling effect. When air is used as the cooling medium in these cases, the ambient air must be moved relatively slowly over the chilling mechanism in order to extract heat from the air; in turn, this slow movement of air requires a tight-fitting vest for distribution as directly as possible over the rider's skin. Thus, while chilled air provides a cooling effect, the approach requires a specialized vest and, by moving only small volumes of air at low rates (approximately 10 to 20 cubic feet per minute), this type of cooling does not effectively promote evaporation of perspiration, which is the body's natural cooling mechanism. Because these methods require the rider to wear a specialized vest (e.g., a close fitting garment with straps, air channels, ducts, tubing, or pockets with cooling gels), many riders object to such cooling methods because the appearance detracts from their comfort and/or the “look” they would like to project while riding their motorcycle.
Further prior solutions have included specialized fabrics that rely on mesh or ventilation to provide cooling. These solutions suffer from the drawback that the motorcycle must be moving in order for air to flow through or over the specialized fabric to cool the rider. These solutions are ineffective at slow speed or when stopped.
There is a need in the art for apparel that promotes natural cooling through high volume air distribution (approximately 100 cubic feet per minute) and allows for incorporation into standard riding apparel.